Mother Joan of the Angels
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| Mother Joan of the Angels | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jerzy Kawalerowicz |
| Starring | Lucyna Winnicka Mieczyslaw Voit |
| Release date(s) | May, 1961 (premiere at Cannes) 7 May 1962 (USA) |
| Running time | 105 mins |
| Country | Poland |
| Language | Polish |
| IMDb profile | |
Mother Joan of the Angels (Polish: Matka Joanna od aniolów) is a 1961 film directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz about exorcism.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Set in the 17th century, the film begins as a priest, Father Suryn (Mieczyslaw Voit), arrives at a small inn for a night's rest. He has been sent to investigate a case of demonic possession at a nearby convent after a local priest was burnt for sexually tempting the nuns. The next day, he sets out for the convent, where he meets its abbess, Mother Joan (Lucyna Winnicka), said to be the most possessed of all the nuns. Father Suryn will have to go to hell and back to save Joan, casting himself forever into darkness for her salvation.
[edit] Background
This film is very loosely based on the real life outbreak of mass hysteria in the French town of Loudun in the 1630s that occurred when a convent of Ursuline nuns, led by the hunchbacked Sister Jeanne of the Angels, became obsessed with a handsome, womanising priest, Urbain Grandier. When Grandier turned down the nuns' invitation to become their spiritual director, Jeanne, in a jealous rage, accused Grandier of using black magic to seduce her and her sisters and possess them with devils. Grandier's enemies, including Cardinal Richelieu, used the accusation as an excuse to have him found guilty of witchcraft and executed.
Unlike Ken Russell's 1971 film The Devils, which depicts Grandier's trial and death, Mother Joan of the Angels instead depicts the events after his death. The nuns continued to be possessed for four years after his death, and further exorcisms were carried out by the sincere and deeply spiritual Father Joseph Suryn whose main concern was helping Sister Jeanne.
[edit] Style
The film is shot in high contrast black and white.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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| Preceded by Stars (1959) No award 1960 |
Special Jury Prize, Cannes 1961 |
Succeeded by The Trial of Joan of Arc tied with L'Eclisse |
